Delay sending all emails

To delay every email, you send by a few minutes, you can set up a global rule in Classic Outlook for Windows. If you are using the New Outlook for Windows or Outlook on the Web, Microsoft has replaced this rule system with a built-in "Undo Send" timer.

 

Outlook for Windows (Classic Desktop App)

This rule holds every outgoing message in your Outbox for a designated number of minutes before pushing it live

  1. Open Outlook and click the File tab in the top-left corner.
  2. Click the Manage Rules & Alerts button.
  3. In the new window, click New Rule.
  4. Under the Start from a blank rule section, select Apply rule on messages I send and click Next.
  5. Do not check any condition boxes on the next screen. Just click Next to apply it to everything.
  6. Click Yes when the prompt asks if you want the rule to apply to every message you send.
  7. In the actions list, scroll down and check the box for defer delivery by a number of minutes.
  8. In the bottom Step 2 box, click the underlined blue phrase "a number of".
  9. Type your preferred delay (e.g., 2 or 5 minutes) and click OK, then click Next.
  10. Add any exceptions if you want (like "except if marked as importance high"), click Next, name your rule, and click Finish.

Note: Your Classic Outlook app must stay open during the delay window for the email to go out. If you close the app, the emails will remain paused in your Outbox until you reopen it.

New Outlook for Windows & Web

The New Outlook does not support outbound rule-based delays. Instead, it uses an Undo Send feature that halts the email for up to 10 seconds, giving you a quick opportunity to retrieve it.

  1. Click the Settings icon (the gear symbol) in the top-right corner of the window.
  2. Select Mail from the left-hand column and click on Compose and reply.
  3. Scroll down until you find the Undo send section.
  4. Move the slider to select how long Outlook should pause before sending (up to 10 seconds).
  5. Click Save at the bottom.
  6. Whenever you hit send, a small "Undo" button will hover at the bottom of your screen for those 10 seconds. Clicking it stops the email and reopens your draft.

 

 

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